Double image facsimile page printer



Oct. 13, 1942. c. w. BURCKY ElAL DOUBLE IMAGE FACSIMILE PAGE PRINTER Filed April 14, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm Ow INVENTOR. CHARLES W. BURCKY BY ERWlNf A. GUBISCH ORNEY.

Patented Oct. 13., 1942 2,298,276 DOUBLE IMAGE FACSIMILE PAGE PRINTER Charles w. Burcky, Park Ridge, and Erwin A. Gubisch, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware 4 Application April 14, 1941, Serial No. 388,430

M'Qlaims. (Cl.178--11) This invention relates to telegraph receiving apparatus and more particularly to facsimile printing telegraph receivers wherein messages are printed in page form.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact, simple and emcient telegraph receiving apparatus for facsimile printing in page form.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, apparatus is provided for drawing. a sheet or web of paper from a supply thereof at a relatively slow rate of speed past a scanning drum of a width slightly greater than the width of the paper, said scanning drum being provided with a series of ribs spaced about its periphery for cooperation with styli being moved across the paper at right angles to the direction of the paper feeding motion. In the specific form of the invention disclosed herein the styli are curved and are mounted on a flexible metallic tape which is moved past the paper at a predetermined rate of speed relative to the rate of speed of paper being fed and therotation of the scanning drum. Engaging the tape in the area thereof where it is held closely in association with, but out of contact with, the paper is a printing bar which will urge the tape toward the paper, a constantly fed ribbon of carbon paper being interposed between the moving tape and the paper web whereby when the printing hammer engages the tape to force it toward the paper, the carbon paper and the web of paper on which the characters are to be printed will be pinched or squeezed between the rotating scanning drum and the styli on the flexible metallic tape whereby characters will be inscribed on the paper, the carbon from the carbon tape being transferred to the paper at the points of contact between the styli and the scanning ribs on the drum. The printing hammer is mounted for reciprocation by a pair of magnetic speaker motors, and it, together with the parts associated with it, constitute the only reciprocating assembly in the apparatus.

A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a facsimile page printer embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away more clearly to illustrate those parts positioned behind them;

Fig. 3 is a right end elevational view of the apparatus as shown in Fig, 1; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken aion the line 4-4 in the direction of the arrows on Fig. 1.

In the drawings, where like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, there is shown a main driving motor l0 mounted on a base H. The motor l0 drives a main motor shaft 12 carrying a gear l3 which is meshed with and drives a gear I4 suitably fixed to a shaft l5 extending from the front to the rear of the machine and serving to transmit power to the various operating parts of the apparatus. It should be noted here that the usual covers provided for the apparatus have been omitted from the structure in all of the views so that the drawings will more clearly illustrate the operating parts of the apparatus.

The shaft I5 is journaled in suitable bearing brackets l6 and H which are fixed to main side plate l8 of a pair of main side plates l8 and i9. Fixed to the shaft l5 are a pair of gears 20 and 2 I, the gear 20 being intermediate the ends of the shaftl5 and the gear 2| being at the forward end of the shaft I5. The gear 20 meshes with a pair of gears designated 22 and 23. The gear 23 is secured to a shaft 24 on which there is mounted a scanning drum designated generally by the numeral 25.

The scanning drum 25 is formed with a plurality of ridges 33 on its outer periphery, the ridges extending parallel to the axis of the drum straight across the face thereof and being spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between like points on the characters being printed simultaneously on the paper, as will be described more in detail hereinafter. The drum extends substantially the entire distance between the side plates i8 and i9 and has cooperating therewith a paper feeding mechanism designated generally by the reference numeral 26 which serves to draw a web of paper 46 slowly, upwardly across the face of the drum.

The paper feeding mechanism '26 comprises a pair of serrated rollers 34 mounted upon a shaft 35 which has fixed to it a gear 38 meshing with a gear 31 on a stud shaft 38. The stud shaft 38 is journaled in a bracket 39 and carries-at its lower end the gear 22 which meshes with gear 20- and is driven thereby. Cooperating with the feed rollers 34 are a pair of spring pressed pressure rollers 4|. The rollers 4| are mounted on the free arms of bell crank levers 42 which are pivoted on the side plates l8 and 19 by means of pivot pins 43 and are urged to rotate in a clockwise direction by contractile springs M connected to the other free arm of the bell crank 42 and to a projecting portion 48 of each of the side plates.

It is believed to be apparent from a description thus far that the scanning drum 25 is driven at a predetermined rate of speed and that the web of paper which has been designated 46 will be drawn past the scanning drum 25 at a rate of speed proportional to the speed of rotation-of the drum 25 due to the fact that the roller 4| will press the web of paper 46 against the knurled feed rollers 34 thereby to draw the paper over the surface of the scanning drum 25 while the scanning drum is rotating. The paper 46 is drawn from a suitable supply thereof (not shown) over a guide roller i 41, suitable means being provided for frictional'ly retarding the withdrawal of paper from the supply so that the paper will firmly engage the ridges 33 on the drum 25 and'will be held relatively taut between the knurled feed roller 34 and the guide roller 47. g

The forward extending ends of the side plates I8 and I9 are bent over 'as shown at 5 3 and 55, respectively (Fig. 1), to support a cross plate 56 94 which in turn meshes with shaft 88 has secured to its lower end a gear 9| 92 which is and drives a gear a gear 95 for driving a knurled tape feed roll 96 (Fig'. 2) mounted on a shaft 91 common to the feed roll 95 and the gear 95. The carbon tape 83 is fed from a supply 99 at the rear of the machine over guide rollers I and IIlI'rotatably mounted in bracket I02 meshing with and driving a gear mounted on a short shaft 93 and I 03, respectively, and will be drawn slowly which is secured to the bent over portions of 5G and 55 by any suitable means, for example, screws 5?. Adjustably mounted on the plate 56- by means of threaded members 59 is a speaker motor supporting plate 60 which carries a pair of speaker motors designated generally by the numerals 6i and 62 and which also carries a bracket 6:; on which there is adjustably mounted a roller 65 for applying tension to a scanning tape 66. The speaker motors GI and 62' are identical in construction and only one, the motor 5i, will be described in detail, This speaker motor M, as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and l, includes a motor mounting plate ii on which there is fixed an armature adjusting bracket '72, a coil 61, a laminated core 68, and core. pole structure 59, The armature adjusting bracket '52 carries a rearwardly extending L-shaped member it and has in its forward portionan armature stop screw l3. The screw l3 and member 'i t limit the movement of an armature #5.

by forming abutments against whicha screw iii threadedly engaged in a horizontally extending portion 1? of the armature will bump on movement of the armature. The armature i5 is hinged to an armature supporting plate lllby means of a flexible metal reed i9 and the supporting plate ill is mounted on a permanent magnet 75 fixed to the motor mounting plate 7 i. The

screw 36 has a two-fold purpose, the head of it serving as stop surfaces which will strike against the adjusting screw 13 and the member it and also serving to hold a printing hammer or printing bar ti on an L-shaped member tewliich is formed integrally with'the armature 75. The

printing bar which is T shaped in cross section as seen in Fig. 4, extends across the length of the scanning drum 25 and serves to drive printing ridges 82 on the tape into engagement with a carbon tape 82 guided between the web of paper Mi and the ridges 82 on the scanning tape -33.

The scanning tape 66 is" provided with three printing ridges 82 and is driven across the face of the scanning drum 25 at a speed proportional to the speed of the scanning drum and of course proportional, therefore, to the speed of travel of the web of paper 46 past the scanning drum. The surface of each ridge 82 at the sides-immediately adjacent to the carbon tape '83 is of arcuate formation and has'a curvature correpaper fed from a suitable across the web of paper 46 by the knurled roller 98 into engagement with which it is forced by a spring pressed roller I04 mounted on a bracket 4 which is pivoted on a rod I05 suitably mounted on a support member I0! secured to side plate l3 and urged into engagement with the knurled feed roll 95 by a contractile spring I08.

A more complete understanding of the apparatus described hereinbefore may be had from the following brief description of the mode of operation thereof. If it be assumed that a web of supply has been directed over the guide roller 41 and drum 25 and between the knurled roller 34 and pressure roller ll, the apparatus will be in condition for operation. In order to initiate operation of the apparatus, a suitable switch may be closed to start the motor ID in operation. This starting of the motor Hi may be'accomplished in any suitable manner such as, for example, the manner shown in the copending patent'application of R. E. Zenner, Serial No.' 37 ,358, filed December 23, 1940, wherein there is shown a facsimile printer for printing on tape. After the motor .III is manner the motor will, through the shaft l2, drive the main shaft I5 thereby to transmit power to the various moving parts of the apparatus with the exception hammer 8! which is driven by the tors BI and 62 connected to either wired or wireless telegraph receiving circuits. The knurled roller 3 will draw the web of paper 46 slowly past the scanning drum 25 which will be rotating at a rate of speed proportional to the speed at which thepaper 46 is fed past it. and the scanning tape 66 will be driven past the web of paper also at a speed proportional to the speed at which the paper isfed. As the scanning drum 25 moves its'rldges past the face of the web of paper 66, the aper will be pinched between the carbon tape 83 and the ridges 33 on the scanning drum at the points where the ridges on the scanning tape 66 engage the carbon paper, therebv to transfer carbon from the tape to the web ofpaper in lines of a length depending upon the length of time that the ridge on the scanning tape is in engagement with the carbon tape. The apparatus described will thus continuously receive signals in the' form of magnet motor controlling impulses andwill cause the armature of the magnet motor to oscillate in a manner similar to that described in the patents referred to hereinbefore. 1 I

It, should be notedv that the dimensions and speed of onerationof the scanning drum 25, the

feeding mechanism 26 and scanning tape 66 are so proportioned that two lines ofidentical printing will appear on the web of paper in the same manner as on the tape printed in an apparatus made in accordance with the showing in Kleinschmidt et al. Patent No. 2,131,741 patented October 4, 1938, and E. F. Kleinschmidt Patent No. 2,145,264 patented January 31, 1939. It should be noted also that the ridges 82 on the tape 66 are positioned equidistant one from the other and that there is always one'of them positioned between the printing hammer BI and the carbon tape 83. This results in the last character in each of the upper two identical lines of matter being duplicated as the first character in each of the two succeeding lines of identical characters. Also, due to the fact that the paper 46 travels continuously, the lines of printing will slope downwardly from left to right.

In the formation of the printed characters, the engagement of the paper 46 by the carbon tape 83 is controlled by the speaker motors BI and 62 in response to polar signals received bythem. For example, in forming the character Ethe motors will be energized to drive the hammer against the paper repeatedly for periods of relatively long or short duration, the period of longest duration being equivalent to the length of time it takes one of the ridges 33 on the scanning drum 25 to move a distance equal to the height of the character. In order to form the vertical line of the letter E the hammer will be operated once for the long period and will then be operated for relatively short periods to form the series of short lines which form the horizontal portions of the character, which are similar to those formed by the apparatus of the Kleinschmidt patents noted hereinbefore.

Although a specific apparatus has been described hereinbefore as illustrative of the invention, it should be understood that many modifications thereof could be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A printing telegraph receiver comprising a printing hammer, means responsive to received signals for actuating said hammer, a ridged member movable in one direction past said hammer, a scanning member movable in a direction at an angle to the direction of movement of the ridged member, and means for moving a web of paper between the ridged member and the scanning member.

2. A facsimile printing apparatus comprising a rotatable scanning drum, means for drawing a web of paper across the drum, means movable across the moving web of paper, and means responsive to received signals for moving the means movable across the paper toward-the scanning drum to mark the paper using the scanning drum as a platen.

3. A facsimile printing apparatus comprising a continuously driven ridged drum, a continuously driven ridgedtape, a continuously driven paper feeding means for feeding a web of paper between the tape and drum,. and signal responsive means for moving the ridged tape at right angles to its path of continuous movement to press the paper between the ridges on the drum and tape to mark it.

4. In a facsimile pageprinting apparatus, a rotating drum having ribs extending from its pe riphery and formed parallel to the axis thereof, a belt having ridges formed thereon movable pas of, and a signal responsive means for moving ridges on. the belt toward the drum to pinch a page between the ribs and the ridges to effect printing.

5. In a facsimile page printing apparatus, a rotating drum having ribs extending from its periphery and formed parallel to the axis thereof, a belt having ridges formed thereon movable past the drum in timed relation to the rotation thereof, a signal responsive means for moving the ridges on the belt toward the drum to pinch a page between the ribs and the ridges to effect printing, and means for moving the page past the drum in timed relation to the rotation of the drum.

6. In a facsimile page printing apparatus, a rotating drum having ribs extending from its periphery and formed parallel to the axis thereof. a belt having ridges formed thereon movable past the drum in timed relation tothe rotation thereof, a carbon tape positioned between the belt and the page, asignal responsive means for moving the ridges on the belt toward the drum to pinch a page between the ribs and the ridges to effect printing, and means for moving the pagepast the drum in timed relation to the rotation of the drum.

'7. In a facsimile page printing apparatus, a rotating drum having ribs extending from its periphery and formed parallel to the axis thereof, a belt having ridges formed thereon movable past the drum in timed relation to the rotation thereof, a signal responsive means for moving the ridges on the belt toward the drum to pinch a page between the ribs and the ridges to effect printing, a carbon tape, and means for moving the tape continuously between the belt and the page.

8. In a facsimile page printing apparatus, a drum having straight line styli extending parallel to the axis thereof and positioned to extend radially outwardly from the surface thereof, a marking member movable in a plane parallel to the axis of said drum, means for moving a sheet of record material between the drum and marking, member, and signal responsive means for moving the marking member towards the drum to effect marking on the record material.

9. In a facsimile page printing apparatus, a drum having straight line styli extending parallel to the axis thereof and positioned to extend radially outwardly from the surface thereof, a marking member movable in a plane parallel to the axis of said drum, means for moving a sheet of record material between the drum and mar"- ing member, carbon tape feeding means for feeding carbon tape between the marking member and the paper, and signal responsive means for moving the marking member toward the drum to pinch the carbon tape and record material between the marking member and styli to transfer carbon from the tape to the record material.

10. In a facsimile page printing apparatus. means for moving a sheet of record material in a predetermined path, a pair of cooperating marking means positioned for movement on opposite sides of the record material during its movement in said path, means for rotating one of said marking means, means for moving the other of said marking means in a path parallelto the axis of rotation of the rotatable marking means, and means for imparting relative movement to said marking means.

11. In a telegraph recorder, the combination of a rotating drum, a plurality of straight line recording styli on said drum, means for drawing a sheet of record material in a path tangential of the drum, means for drawing a marking tape in a path parallel to the axis of the drum, a plurality of traveling platen members movable in a path parallel to the axis of the drum, and signal responsive means movable to cause the platen members to engage the tape and compress the sheet and marking tape between a platen and the styli.

12. In a facsimile recorder the combination of a stylus member having a plurality of straight line stylus edges, means for manipulating the stylus member to move the stylus edges rapidly through a predetermined gone, a vibratory ridged means slowly movable" across said zone, means for drawing a sheet of record material over said stylus member, means for moving a strip of pigment depositing material between the ridged means and the record material, and signal responsive means extending across the sheet of record material for actuating the ridged means to compress the strip and sheet edges and the ridged means.

13. In a facsimile recorder, the combination of between the stylus means for drawing a record sheet through a predetermined path, means for drawing a carbon tape transversely of said path, a rotary stylus member having a plurality of stylus edges moving in the direction of movement of said sheet, a thin edged platen member movable transversely of said stylus edges opposite said sheet and carbon tape, and signal responsive means effective to press the platen and stylus members together to print on said sheet.

14. In a facsimile recorder, the combination of means for drawing a record sheet through a predetermined path, means for drawing a carbon tape transversely of said path, a rotary stylus member having a plurality of stylus edges moving in the direction of movement of said sheet, a thin edged platen member movable transversely of said stylus edges opposite said sheet and carbon tape, a printing hammer member associated with the platen member extending transversely of the path of movement of the sheet, and signal responsive means efiective to operate said hammer member to press the platen member toward the stylus edges.

CHARLES W. BURCKY. ERWIN A. GUBISCH. 

